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FDA starts grant program to collect antimicrobial data

FDA announced a funding opportunity to support the collection of data on antimicrobial use in animal agriculture.

Mar 16, 2016

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced a funding opportunity announcement March 16 to support the collection of data on antimicrobial use in animal agriculture.

The funded data collection efforts are intended to provide part of the baseline information on antimicrobial use practices in the four major food-producing animal groups — cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys — needed to assess the impact of the agency’s judicious use strategy. The data collection efforts are also expected to provide important information on data collection methodologies to help optimize long-term strategies for collecting and reporting such data.

Beginning March 11, FDA began accepting applications for the fiscal year 2016 "Cooperative Agreement Program for Antimicrobial Use & Resistance Data Collection," which will fund up to two awards with a maximum of $300,000 provided to any individual awardee.

Although not required, letters of intent are strongly suggested and will be due on May 9. Applications are due by no later than June 24. To apply for this funding opportunity, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-FD-16-046.html. FDA encourages applicants to visit www.grants.gov as early as possible to obtain the registration information needed to complete the application process. The agency is unable to accept late applications.

In December 2013, the agency took a significant step forward in addressing antimicrobial resistance by publishing guidance 213, which calls on animal drug sponsors of approved medically important antimicrobials administered through medicated feed or water to voluntarily remove from their product labels indications for use related to growth promotion, and to bring the remaining therapeutic uses of these products under the oversight of a veterinarian by the end of December 2016.

Gathering information on the way medically important antibiotics are used is essential to measuring the impact of FDA’s judicious use strategy. The data obtained will support efforts to: (1) assess the rate of adoption of changes outlined in FDA’s guidance 213; (2) help gauge the success of antibiotic stewardship efforts and guide their continued evolution and optimization, and (3) assess associations between antibiotic use practices and resistance.